One of the most popular songs from everyone’s childhood and one of the most popular here at Kidsongs is The Alphabet Song (also called "The ABC Song" ).  Learning our alphabet by singing the letters has an interesting history and goes back a lot farther than I would have guessed.

Did it originate in the 1950’s?  The 1920’s?  Try the 1700’s in France!  It was first written down by a French composer named Bouin in 1761, although music historians note that this song existed in French culture even earlier than that.  It uses the same melody as a French song whose title translates into “Ah, I Would Say to You, Mama”. The pedigree of "The Alphabet Song" also includes the illustrious Wofgang Amadeaus Mozart himself! Mozart composed several variations of the melody for piano in the 1781 and 1782 titled, "Twelve Variations on Ah Vous Dirai-Je, Maman". 

Another very famous composer, Franz Joseph Haydn, used the melody, too, in his “Surprise” symphony.  In America, "The ABC Song" was first copyrighted in 1835 by music publisher Charles Bradlee who gave credit for the musical arrangement to Louis Le Maire, a French 18th century composer. 

Seems like everyone is proud to have their name attached to this simple but memorable melody!

Kidsongs version of The Alphabet Song from "What I Want To Be"

Now sing your ABC’s and think about the melody --  Have you heard it before?  Don’t think so? Think again -- It’s the same as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Baa, Baa Black Sheep”!  Am I the only one who didn’t realize these songs were the same?  Our music producer pointed this out to us when he was in the studio recording it again & again for our various Kidsongs albums and videos.

United States and all around the world, where it is frequently modified for different languages.

It will continue to be used in preschools, kindergartens and homes around the world to teach little ones their ABC’s in a way that makes it fun and easy to learn.

Check back often for more blog articles from our new “Kidsongs Guide to Children’s Songs”.  Learn the history, fun facts and some behind-the-scenes stories about everyone's favorite songs.

"The ABC Song" continues to be an extremely popular tune in the